Monday, 4 February 2013

As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew this movie was going to crash my brain with the violation of the physics and the biology.

Let's get the story out of the way. Boy is on bad side of the tracks, girl is on good side, boy and girl try to get to each other despite their societies telling them to stay away... yep, it's Romeo and Juliet all over again. Or possibly Titanic. The point is the story doesn't matter because love is more powerful than gravity... and every other physical principle guiding the universe. (And talk about a speedy ending...)

The movie opens up setting up some basic rules. There happens to be two planets next to each other but with their own gravities. Rule 1) everything from one planet is affected by the gravity of that planet. Rule 2) enough mass from the other planet can keep you on that planet. However Rule 3) if matter from both worlds are in contact long enough... they combust!

Fine, these planets exist. Whatever. But then we have the rules of the planets which the planets must obey, as given within the movie, so at that point, we can start bitching. (And this is all observable in the trailer!)

The air from the planets intermingle... but air is matter... so why not combusting all over the place? (Because it is always moving, and specific bits of matter are not together long enough to go bang. Okay, that can survive for now.)

But then there is a building that connects both worlds, and we see shots in the trailer of people working on each others ceilings, as it were... but then the planets are locked relative to each other? So they don't rotate? So where's the gravity come from? Let alone how do seasons work?

And then the characters eat food from the other world... how? It would stick to the top of the mouth, you wouldn't be able to swallow, and then it would just fly 'upwards' as soon as you open your mouth far enough! Let alone that's two matters from opposite worlds that aren't combusting! Let alone the evolution probability for two 'human' species to turn up and have compatible biology (there is a suggestion that some creatures can cross over naturally, and it would make more sense that the 'humans' arose on one planet then crossed over... although that just shifts the 'how did that happen?' question.)

Although materials seem to be passed from one world to the other easily. Throwing a rope up? No problem... except it won't just be caught in the other planets gravity, and will still need to be a given a ton of energy to get up there. And falling from that height into the ocean? The word 'splat' comes to mind.

And then there's the walking around on the other planet... even if you have the mass holding you down, your internal biology is still guided by the gravity of your planet, your blood should be pooling in your head!

I don't care that this is 'love overcomes everything', there are plenty of stories about that. I care about that this movie violates the very basic fundamentals itself sets up. Making for great visuals (and there are some great visuals) do not an excuse give.